Been a long time user of Sellathon, and it was simply the best subscription add-on for auction optimisation out there - bar none.

Being able to monitor search terms, watchers, how searchers had found your listings etc. all prove very useful for titles, categories, strategies etc.

HOWEVER - it's all come crashing down it seems. Let me explain..

I've kept the subscription up, despite taking time away from eBay for several months at a time. Back in May 08 I tried using by inserting the code into my auctions, but it wasn't 'tracking'. In hindsight, this MAY have been due to issues Ebay have with changing policies - as mentioned in other reviews - but I felt it was more due to Sellathon changing their tracking method to use a service called 'Kick it Back', via Auctiva.

Eventually, we resolved our problems - but with next to no help from Customer Support. First, they lost our ticket - then ignored our second one for several days. Then they neglected to tell us the log-in page we'd always used had been superseded.

A key problem with their support is what I call the 'PayPal plague' - they clearly have scripted answers, guess which is nearest to fit your ticket and cut & paste. They also have no way to 'track' your ticket in a Quality Control way one would expect for instance, if you reply though the name of the 'adviser' (no pun intended!) is the same, the style of writing, the ignorance of the issue at hand, the contradictory replies etc. all lead me to suggest it's anyone who's nearest the PC who types a reply, certainly without trying to answer the question.

So, eventually I gave in - as it kinda worked, nothing like as good as it did, but half a service is better than none, and there doesn't seem to be any similar services?

Seeing that Auctiva have bought them out, guess what? They're aiming all their focus at promoting using Auctiva in subtle references like 'oh you can simply retro-add the code AFTER you've listed your item using Ebay's revise function, or you can use Auctiva in the first place as you don't need to add a counter!'

Also, they are very, very blinkered in the whole 'respect the customer' thing these days. They quote terms and conditions stating their service is non-refundable (no matter how poor or 'unfit for purpose' it clearly seems to be).

It's preferable to pull your own teeth out with a fork than to try and get a logical, coherent response if you've any technical problems, so I guess it's the ultimate sanction for me, and cut loose.